Fake
Easter Smurfs
In
2004 we first started seeing fake Easter smurfs appearing
on the market. Suddenly a huge amount of smurfs started
appearing on Ebay and they were all being sold from
Hong Kong. Normally they were being sold in sets of
six and were being shipped in sealed plastic bags
all together. It was actually quite difficult to tell
immediately from a photo if these were indeed fake
as the overall quality of them is quite good but just
the sheer amount of them being sold and the sellers
themselves who were also selling other "rip off"
toys told us that these were indeed unlicensed, inferiour
quality smurfs.
On
closer inspection with the smurfs in hand it is easier
to spot that these are fakes. The smurf figures themselves
are slightly smaller overall than the genuine figures
and whereas the originals are all a one piece mold,
most of the fake versions are in fact two piece molds.
Some of the smurfs are quite easy to pull apart making
them a health concern, especially for younger children,
due to the choking hazzard. The markings are identical
to the original smurfs although the blue dot is a
lot darker than the blue dot we see on genuine smurfs
and the markings themselves are quite blurry.
Now
that these fake Easter smurfs have been around for
a while, they are unfortunately much more difficult
to spot as they are being sold seperately or in amongst
other smurfs. Sometimes the seller may not even be
aware that these smurfs are indeed fake although we
have noticed some very well known smurf sellers on
Ebay selling them.
Always
be aware when buying Easter smurfs, these fake figures
have a much lower value and as already mentioned,
could be a health risk to children.
Article
Written February 2007
